Membership

Eligibility

Membership of the Association is open to eligible judicial officers throughout Australia. To qualify for membership, rule 4 of the Rules states the following:

A person is qualified to be a member if that person is or has been

(a) a member of a court of the Commonwealth of Australia or of a State or internal Territory of Australia, or of a Tribunal which, in the opinion of the Governing Council, exercises judicial power within Australia, or

(b) a person appointed on terms which, in the opinion of the Governing Council, are similar to those upon which judges are usually appointed in Australia and whose duties are, in the opinion of the Governing Council, substantially judicial in nature.

Rules, Australian Judicial Officers Association (at June 2022) 2 r 4

Becoming a Member

Membership of the AJOA is strictly limited to those persons who meet our eligibility criteria as set out above. You can register online here.  If you are unsure as to your eligibility, we recommend you first contact us and refrain from paying the membership fee until your membership application is accepted.

Membership Fees

The Association is funded almost entirely by membership subscriptions.  Our membership fees are aligned with the financial year ie 1 July to 30 June each year. There are three types of membership; each with the option to pay for one or three years’ membership at a time.

New members: The first year, or part thereof, of membership is discounted for first-time members of the Association.  If you join the AJOA for the first time as a retired member of a Court, it is recommended you join as a Retired Member – see below. If you have been a member of the Association but have allowed your membership to lapse, you will need to pay the full Member rate.

The membership fee for first-time membership is either:

$70.00 (incl. GST) for membership to 30 June 2025* – pay via Stripe

  or

$630 (incl. GST) for membership to 30 June 2027* – pay via Stripe

*New members who join after 31 January receive an extension of their membership to the following financial year.

Members: The membership fees for the financial year 2024-25 for renewing members are either:

$280 (incl. GST) for membership to 30 June 2025 – pay via Stripe

  or

$840 (incl. GST) for membership to 30 June 2027 – pay via Stripe

Retired Members:  Retired members of a Court, regardless of whether they continue to sit on the bench in an acting or reserve capacity, are eligible for this discounted rate.  The membership fees for the financial year 2024-25 for renewing retired members are either:

$70 (incl GST) for membership to 30 June 2025 – pay via Stripe

  or

$210 (incl GST) for membership to 30 June 2027 – pay via Stripe